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A Health-conscious Christmas

We are entering one of the most beautiful times of year: the Christmas season. Statistics say that with the excesses associated with these dates we could stand to put on an average 2 to 5 kg of body weight, most of which is fat mass.

Knowledge about what we eat and awareness of how much and when we eat are key to controlling our weight. Neolife would like to compare and offer you some of the healthiest alternatives to traditional holiday foods so you can still enjoy Christmas foods while keeping your weight under control.

Tania Mesa – Director of Neolife’s Nutrition and Nursing Unit

Carolina Sánchez – Neolife Nutrition and Nursing Unit

Christmas: one of the most feared times of year for those watching the scale

We’re coming up on one of the most beautiful times of year, the Christmas season, a time when many of us are filled with a feeling of love, joy and happiness. With it comes the outdoor lights, the vacations, the snowy season, the hopes of little ones as they await Santa Claus or the Magi. For those “not so little ones” it’s the thought of receiving gifts, winning the Christmas lottery, dinners with friends and co-workers, and family gatherings, which also makes it one of the most feared times of year for those watching their weight.

In general statistics say that with the excesses associated with these dates we could stand to put on an average 2 to 5 kg of body weight, most of which corresponds to our fat mass. What if I told you we could avoid it? That you could eat and drink anything you wanted, but in moderation and always compensating and countering those excesses and increasing the typical measures of a healthy life?

Knowledge about what we eat and awareness of how much and when we eat are key to controlling our weight. Neolife would like to compare and offer you some of the healthiest alternatives to traditional holiday foods so you can still enjoy Christmas foods while keeping your weight under control.

Determining whether a dish is healthier or less healthy depends on the cut of meat we choose as well as on how we prepare it and cook it.

The healthiest cuts of meat are:

  • Beef (veal or ox): flank, sirloin, ribeye, filet mignon or rump.
  • Lamb: for a leaner portion choose leg of lamb and meat derived from the kid.
  • Pork: the loin, shoulder and sirloin of the animal.
  • Fowl (skinless chicken, turkey, etc.): the leanest part is the breast, followed by the thigh.
  • Game meats (hare, rabbit, roe deer, deer) are characterized by their low fat content.

Keep in mind that the healthiest fish is not just the one that contains the highest amount of nutrients. There are several species prone to mercury contamination, such as swordfish, shark, grouper, pike and bluefin tuna.

The safest fish to ingest are salmon, catfish and small fish (sardines, anchovies, etc.). Shrimp are a stand out among healthy seafood options. Mussels, clams and cuttlefish are also good choices.

Among the fish that contain almost no fat we find sole, hake, fresh cod, pollock, and other white fish.

The ideal culinary preparation to avoid adding more fat to meat is grilling or baking it.

 

Let’s not forget the drinks served before, during and after these meals or dinners. Below we show you the amount of kcal contained in 100 ml of each beverage.

Alcoholic beverages:

  • Aguardiente: 390 kcal.
  • Anis: 390 kcal.
  • Cava: 87 kcal.
  • Beer: 33 kcal.
  • Cognac: 233 kcal.
  • Champagne: 87 kcal.
  • Gin: 233 kcal.
  • Liquor: 390 kcal.
  • Rum: 233 kcal.
  • Sangría: 71 kcal.
  • Hard cider: 43 kcal.
  • Tequila: 266 kcal.
  • Vermouth: 134 kcal.
  • Table wine (red, white, rosé): 77.6 kcal.
  • Sweet wine: 160 kcal.
  • Fine wine: 124 kcal.
  • Vodka: 235 kcal.
  • Whiskey: 233 kcal.

Non-alcoholic beverages:

  • Water: 0 kcal.
  • Soda water: 0 kcal.
  • Sports drinks: 33 kcal.
  • Non-alcoholic beer: 8 kcal.
  • Colas: 42 kcal.
  • Non-alcoholic colas 0.32 kcal.
  • Soft drinks: 42 kcal.
  • Zero-calorie soft drinks: 0.32 kcal.
  • Lemon, orange soda: 42 kcal.
  • Tonic: 38 kcal.
  • Citrus juice: 42 kcal.
  • Non-citrus fruit juice: 48 kcal.
  • Lemon juice: 37 kcal.
  • Tangerine juice: 45 kcal.
  • Apple juice: 48 kcal.
  • Peach juice: 65 kcal.
  • Orange juice: 43 kcal.
  • Pineapple juice: 51 kcal.
  • Grapefruit juice: 35 kcal.
  • Tomato juice: 16 kcal.
  • Grape juice: 66 kcal.
  • Carrot juice: 24 kcal.

With all these healthy alternatives we propose a kind of menu you can use as a guide so these holidays don’t take their toll on your weight.

Starters:

  • Iberian ham
  • Iberian loin
  • Smoked salmon.
  • Grilled seafood.

Appetizer:

  • Seafood soup.

Main course:

  • Baked hake with a side of red cabbage with apple, raisins and pine nuts.
  • Veal fillet with a side of vegetables.

Dessert:

  • Fresh pineapple.

Beverages:

  • Water.
  • Glass of cider, cava or champagne.

At the following link you’ll find our Christmas recommendations, which we remain faithful to Christmas after Christmas, with excellent results on the scale: https://www.neolifesalud.com/blog/navidad-exceso-de-grasas-alcohol-y-aumento-de-peso/

At Neolife we keep in mind throughout the year that Christmas will come with its excesses, so we prepare our patients so they can enjoy it without having a negative impact on their weight.

In our upcoming December newsletter we’ll show you the energetic contribution of typical Christmas sweets so you can enjoy them without remorse.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(1) Moreiras O, Carbajal Á, Cabrera L, Cuadrado C. Tablas de composición de alimentos. Guía de prácticas. 18th ed. Madrid: Pirámide; 2016.